Papine woes due to unqualified decision makers

THE EDITOR, Sir:

During this week alone, The Gleaner has taken three passes at the profession of architecture and/or the Caribbean School of Architecture (CSA) at the University of Technology. (See Tuesday, November 19 editorial 'Papine's potential going to waste'; Thursday, November 21 Letter of the Day, 'Feng shui to solve crime'; and the Financial Gleaner of November 22, Mr Aubyn Hill's 'Building blockades'.

The first two writers could have got the answers simply by calling CSA and talking to the head of school, Dr Rohan Bailey, who would have informed them that the school is involved in the neighbouring Papine community through the Faculty of the Built Environment. We have on the table proposals for the improvement of the area, for the consideration of the community and GOJ, involving local councillors and two local MPs, Messrs André Hylton and Damian Crawford, and with a local development group, PDAC (Papine Area Development Committee).

The ideas are diverse and expansive and seek to elevate the district to that of a university town linking city and countryside for the benefit of all, with wide-ranging public projects and enticing potential private-sector ones intended to significantly improve the area for the benefit of all.

Lack of support

Every year, CSA does educational studies within communities in Kingston, throughout Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, as part of our mandate (now 25 years on) to educate future architects for the Anglo-Caribbean. These often remain unknown as public- and private-sector members, though often invited, never seem to have the time to visit our exhibitions. Those who come can attest to their high standards.

A simple answer to Mr Hill's article of why we struggle with development lies in the fact that for the first time in our history, Jamaica and the English-speaking Caribbean are producing all the qualified professionals needed to carry out our built-environment deve-lopment, yet very few are employed to local government offices and agencies and fewer to the parish councils.

So we keep unqualified people making decisions and are forced to export the qualified ones to places where their skills and advice will be appreciated and remunerated. We then import professionals from overseas to carry out many of our important local projects. The politicians in both parties know this, and resist making the changes for their own ends. There is more if anyone really cares to hear.

L. MARK TAYLOR

Vice-Dean, Faculty of the Built Environment, UTech